1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an occupant restraint system in which a side airbag is disposed in a folded state along an upper edge of a door opening of a vehicle body, and the airbag is inflatable by a gas, generated by an inflator, when the vehicle is involved in a collision. Upon inflation, the side airbag is deployed into a curtain shape along the inner face of a side of an occupant compartment.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional occupant restraint system is known in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 2000-33847 and 11-235965. The above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 2000-33847 and 11-235965 disclose arrangements in which the gas generated by an inflator is guided to the interior of an airbag via a gas supply pipe such as a hose, a duct or a reinforcement liner tube.
When the gas supply pipe for guiding the gas generated by the inflator to the airbag is damaged by the impact of a side collision of the vehicle, the gas cannot be guided to the airbag, thereby preventing the occupant restraint system from exhibiting its full function. In the above-mentioned conventional systems, since the gas supply pipe extends to a middle section, in the longitudinal direction, of a roof side rail, there is a problem that the gas supply pipe is susceptible to damage due to the impact of a side collision.
The present invention has been achieved in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to effectively prevent the gas supply pipe for guiding the gas generated by the inflator to the airbag from being damaged by the impact of a side collision of the vehicle.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a first aspect of the present invention proposes an occupant restraint system that includes an airbag that is disposed in a folded state along an upper edge of a door opening of a vehicle body; an inflator that generates a gas when the vehicle is involved in a collision, and a gas supply pipe. When activated, the gas inflates the airbag so that it is deployed into a curtain shape along the inner face of a side of an occupant compartment. In the system according to the invention, the front end of a gas supply pipe, which extends from the inflator housed in a rear pillar to the interior of the airbag, is positioned in the rear of the front end of a wheelhouse of a rear wheel.
In accordance with the above-mentioned arrangement, the front end of the gas supply pipe extending from the inflator housed in the rear pillar to the interior of the airbag is positioned in the rear of the front end of the wheelhouse of the rear wheel. Therefore, the gas supply pipe can be positioned in an area in which the vehicle body rigidity has been increased by the rear pillar and the wheelhouse, thereby minimizing or effectively preventing damage to the gas supply pipe due to the impact of a side collision of the vehicle. Moreover, since the inflator is housed in the rear pillar which is wider and more rigid than a front pillar, it is possible to minimize or effectively prevent any damage to the inflator.
Modes for carrying out the present invention are explained below by reference to an embodiment of the present invention shown in the attached drawings.